According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation around 220 million people in sub-Saharan Africa were hungry/undernourished in 2014 to 2016, the highest prevalence of any region in the world. Sub-Saharan Africa was the area with the second largest number of hungry people, as Asia had 512 million, principally due to the much larger population. Although the prevalence of undernourishment in sub-Saharan Africa has declined according to FAO, it has seen the least progress where more than one in four people remain undernourished. Meanwhile the Food Aid Foundation estimates that 66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone. With a rapidly growing population, Africa is faced with a huge challenge to feed its nation. How do we do this and how do we begin to empower Africans to grow their own food so that it is affordable and sustainable. To help us unpack this and more we are joined in studio by:
Dr Naude Malan: Senior Lecturer at the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies at the University of Johannesburg. (studio)
Gerry Bourke: Regional Communications Officer at the United Nations World Food Progamme.
Professor Julian May: Director of the Department of Science and Technology - National Research Foundation at the Centre of Excellence in Food Security and UNESCO Chair in African Food Systems at the University of the Western Cape.
